Nordic Semiconductor has maximised energy efficiency and user experience by integrating a precision fuel gauge into its ultra-low power PMIC, the 'nPM1304'.

Nordic announced on the 10th that it has officially launched the 'nPM1304', a highly integrated power management IC (PMIC) for small battery-based wearable and IoT devices.

The nPM1304 is the successor to Nordic’s best-selling nPM1300, integrating both fuel gauging and battery charging functionality for precise battery usage tracking in an ultra-small form factor.

The core of the nPM1304 is a precision fuel gauge that uses Nordic's unique algorithm.

By combining voltage, current, and temperature monitoring with battery modeling, it accurately measures the remaining battery capacity while achieving ultra-low power consumption of 8μA when active and 0μA when standby.

It maximizes battery efficiency compared to existing dedicated fuel gauge chips that consume up to 50μA when active and 7μA when standby.

The battery charging module supports programmable charging current (4 mA to 100 mA) and charging termination voltage (3.5 V to 4.65 V). Li-ion·Li-poly·LiFePO4 single cell charging is possible.

The automatic temperature control function safely manages the chip temperature, ensuring high reliability.

The nPM1304 is optimized for products with limited battery space, such as smart rings, body sensors, sports trackers, and healthcare monitors.

“With the growing demand for smaller, connected devices, the nPM1304 perfectly meets users’ expectations by providing real-time fuel gauge accuracy at ultra-low power,” says Geir Kjosavik, Nordic PMIC Product Director.

This chip integrates and manages power supplies for various microcontrollers (MCUs) as well as ultra-low-power wireless SoCs such as the nRF52, nRF53, and nRF54 series.

It integrates two ultra-high-efficiency buck converters, two load switches, an LDO voltage converter, five GPIOs, and three LED drivers, simplifying board design and reducing BoM costs in a single chip.

The I2C-compatible TWI interface allows for easy configuration of advanced system management features such as battery capacity measurement, system watchdog, power loss warning, and automatic recovery from boot failure.

Replacing complex power management components with a single nPM1304 can simultaneously reduce manufacturing costs and improve product reliability from the design stage.

The nPM1304 is currently available for early sampling through Nordic Korea. It is expected to be a next-generation PMIC solution that will maximize energy efficiency and user experience in small battery-based devices.